Methods, systems, and apparatuses for accurate measurement of health relevant UV exposure from sunlight

ABSTRACT

Methods of accurately estimating erythemaly-weighted UV exposure, such as the UV Index, and sensors adapted for the same.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/135,078, filed Dec. 28, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/659,427, filed Oct. 21, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No.10,876,886, which claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Application No.62/748,233, filed Oct. 19, 2018, each of which is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

The disclosures of US. Pub. No. 2017/0115162 and U.S. Pub. No.2016/0364131 are fully incorporated by reference herein for allpurposes.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specificationare herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if eachindividual publication or patent application was specifically andindividually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

This invention was made with government support under award number1746461 awarded by the National Science Foundation The government hascertain rights in the invention.

BACKGROUND

Ultraviolet (UV) is radiation with a wavelength from 10 nm to 400 nm. UVfrom sunlight that reaches the surface of the Earth has a wavelengthbetween 280 nm to 400 nm. UV radiation with a wavelength from 280 nm to315 nm is called “UVB” and UV radiation with a wavelength from 315 to400 nm is called “UVA”.

UV exposure is known to have short-term and long-term impacts on health.Short-term impacts include, for instance, sunburns. Long-term impactsinclude, for instance, skin cancer. Melanoma of the skin is the 6th mostimportant cancer by incidence rate and 90% of them are caused byexcessive UV exposure, according to the CDC. In 1987, Diffey andMcKinley published an article that quantifies the sensitivity of thehuman skin to UV radiation and they discovered that the human skin isexponentially more sensitive to UVB than to UVA. They called thissensitivity “erythema spectrum” and we will refer to it as the erythemaaction spectrum EAS, and is shown in FIG. 1. This spectral sensitivityhas been adopted for health relevant UV measurements by the World HealthOrganization (WHO), International Standards Organization (ISO17166) andCIE. Other health-relevant sensitivity spectra (also called “weightingfunctions”) have been defined. For instance, the “Vitamin D ActionSpectrum”(http://www.cie.co.at/publications/action-spectrum-production-previtamin-d3-human-skin)looks at the production of vitamin D3 as a function of the wavelength inthe UV range. The Vitamin D Action Spectrum is similar toerythemaly-weighted UV for wavelengths more than 300 nm, which is themost part of most sun spectra. The purpose of these health-relevantsensitivity spectra in the UV range are designed to measure what we callhere “UV exposure for health”, i.e. to provide a measurement of UVexposure that has a meaning for health. It is to be noted that thesesensitivity spectra are quite similar to each other in the range of 300nm to 400 nm, which makes most of the radiance in solar spectra.Therefore, the inventive concepts herein, including the methods, areapplicable to all health-relevant ways of measuring UV exposure fromsunlight.

There are several units when measuring sun exposure for health. Ageneral equation is the following:U=∫ ₂₈₀ ⁴⁰⁰ S(λ)E(λ)dλ

Where A is the wavelength, E(λ) is the wavelength-dependent UV-relevantweighting function (e.g. erythema action spectrum) and S(λ) is thespectral irradiance of a given UV spectrum. S(λ) is usually expressed inW/m2/nm. U is the integration of these two functions over the UVspectrum (280-400 nm) and is usually expressed in W/m2. When E(λ) is theerythema action spectrum, and U is normalized by 25 mW/m2, one obtainsthe “UV index”. The UV index was adopted by the World HealthOrganization and several government agencies (e.g. the EPA in the US) toeducate people on the danger of UV exposure. Universal recommendationsare based on the value of the UV index. For instance, if the UV index isbelow 2, the WHO estimates that it safe to be outside. FIG. 2illustrates WHO Recommendations based on the UV index, obtained fromhttp://www.who.int/uv/intersunprogramme/activities/uv_index/en/index1.html.It is worth noting that U is an “instantaneous” quantification of UVexposure. If one is interested in the impact of UV exposure over time(e.g. a period of time called Δt), one should integrate over time:

D = ∫_(Δ t)∫₂₈₀⁴⁰⁰S(λ)E(λ)d λ dt

D would usually be called “radiant exposure” and usually be expressed inJ/m2 or in a unitless quantity if it is normalized by a reference value(e.g. the “Standard Erythema Dose” which amounts to 100 J/m2 oferythemal effective radiant exposure, as explained by Diffey in “Sourcesand measurement of ultraviolet radiation”, Academic Press, 2002).Similarly, the quantities U and D can be integrated over a surface (e.g.the surface of the skin) to obtain a quantity in Watts and Joulesrespectively. The inventive concepts herein (e.g. methods and/orsensors) can be used to predict all these quantities that relate to ahealth-relevant function such as the erythema action spectrum or theVitamin D action spectrum. When UV Index is estimated herein, it is thusunderstood to be illustrative, and not limiting to the different uses ofthe innovative concepts herein.

Because sunlight presents an ever-changing spectrum as a function oftime of day, location, pollution, etc., existing detectors aiming atmeasuring the UV index must accurately weight each wavelength accordingto the EAS and be properly calibrated against a known UV source.Otherwise, they will be extremely inaccurate as shown by Correa et al.and later by Banerjee and colleagues. FIG. 3 illustrates measured UVspectral irradiance at the same time from 3 different locations. FIG. 4illustrates a comparison of commercially-available personal UV sensorswhen measuring the UV index from sunlight, adapted from Banerjee et al.(Banerjee, S., Hoch, E. G., Kaplan, P. D. & Dumont, E. L. P. Acomparative study of wearable ultraviolet radiometers. in 2017 IEEE LifeSciences Conference (LSC) 9-12 (2017)).

The spectral sensitivity of UV sensors (which may also be called UVphotodetectors or UV detectors, or simply sensors, herein) results fromthe combination of the semiconductor (e.g. silicon carbide) and anyoptics, such as filters, on top of it as well as, sometimes, additionalelectronics components (such as analog-to-digital converters). UVsensors generally include a semiconductor made of silicon carbide,gallium nitride, or aluminum gallium nitride (these are called“compound” semiconductors because they are made of chemical elements ofat least 2 different species). Therefore, for some systems, asignificant challenge of building a system to measure the UV index is tofind a combination of an optical filter with a photodetector chemistry(semiconductor) to closely match the EAS. FIG. 5 illustrates the basicarchitecture of an exemplary UV sensor.

Previous attempts to develop UV sensors tend to either assume that thespectral sensitivity of the sensor is relatively unimportant, or to tryto match the sensitivity of the EAS.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One aspect of this disclosure is a computer executable method ofestimating erythemaly-weighted UV exposure, the computer executablemethod stored in a memory, the method comprising: receiving as inputinformation that is indicative of an irradiance measured from a sensorsensitive to incident light having a spectral sensitivity from 305nm-315 nm; and estimating erythemaly-weighted UV exposure (e.g., the UVindex) using the input information.

Estimating erythemaly-weighted UV exposure can comprise utilizing arelationship that can be approximated to a linear correlation betweenthe information and the UV Index.

The receiving step can comprise receiving as input information that isindicative of an irradiance measured from a sensor sensitive to incidentlight having a spectral sensitivity from 308 nm-312 nm.

The receiving step can comprise receiving as input information that isindicative of an irradiance measured from a sensor sensitive to incidentlight having a spectral sensitivity from 309.5 nm-311.5 nm.

The erythemaly-weighted UV exposure can be the UV Index, and it can be aproduct of a calibration UV index of a known calibration source and aratio of the output of the sensor when exposed to the unknownelectromagnetic source to an output of the sensor when exposed to thecalibration source.

The receiving step can include receiving as input information that isindicative of an irradiance measured from a sensor that includes anarrow-band filter disposed above a semiconductor.

The method can also include causing to be displayed on a display (e.g.,on a display of a smartphone) the estimated erythemaly-weighted UVexposure (e.g., UV Index).

The method can also include causing the estimated erythemaly-weighted UVexposure (e.g., UV Index) to be input to a method (e.g., computerexecutable method) that determines how much time a person may safelyspend outdoors.

One aspect of the disclosure is a method of using a sensor adapted foruse in estimating erythemaly-weighted UV exposure, comprising: measuringirradiance from a sensor that is sensitive to incident light and thathas a spectral sensitivity from 305 nm-315 nm; and estimatingerythemaly-weighted UV exposure using the measured irradiance.

The measuring step can comprise measuring irradiance from a sensor thathas narrow-band filter disposed above a semiconductor.

Estimating erythemaly-weighted UV exposure can comprise receiving asinput information that is indicative of the measured irradiance.

Estimating erythemaly-weighted UV exposure can be performed by acomputer executable method stored in a memory.

Estimating erythemaly-weighted UV exposure can comprise utilizing arelationship that can be approximated to a linear correlation betweenthe information and the UV Index.

Estimating erythemaly-weighted UV exposure can comprise calculating aproduct of a calibration UV index of a known calibration source and aratio of an output of the sensor when exposed to the unknownelectromagnetic source to an output of the sensor when exposed to thecalibration source.

The measuring step can comprise measuring irradiance from a sensor thatis sensitive to incident light and that has a spectral sensitivity from308 nm-312 nm.

The measuring step can comprise measuring irradiance from a sensor thatis sensitive to incident light and that has a spectral sensitivity from309.5 nm-311.5 nm.

The measuring step can comprise measuring a current from the sensor.

The measuring step can comprise measuring a number of counts from thesensor.

One aspect of this disclosure is a sensor adapted for use in estimatingerythemaly-weighted UV exposure: wherein the sensor is more sensitive tolight with a wavelength from 305 nm to 315 nm than to light with awavelength outside of 305 nm to 315 nm.

The sensor can comprise a semiconductor and an optic portion, andwherein the combination of the semiconductor and the optic portion maymake the sensor more sensitive to light with a wavelength from 305 nm to315 nm than to light with a wavelength outside of 305 nm to 315 nm.

The sensor can comprise a semiconductor that is sensitive to at leastone of the wavelengths between 309 nm and 312 nm.

The sensor may be more sensitive to light with a wavelength from 308 nmto 312 nm than to light with a wavelength outside of 308 nm to 312 nm.

The sensor may further include a sensor output detector that is adaptedto detect an output from the sensor.

The sensor may include a narrow-band filter disposed above asemiconductor. A combination of the narrow-band filter and thesemiconductor can make the sensor more sensitive to light with awavelength from 305 nm to 315 nm than to light with a wavelength outsideof 305 nm to 315 nm. The narrow-band filter may be centered on 312 nm.The semiconductor may be a silicon carbide semiconductor.

The sensor may be disposed in a wearable device. The wearable device mayfurther comprise a UVA sensor.

The sensor may be disposed in a personal device (e.g., smartphone). Thepersonal device may have a display and may be configured with controlcircuitry to display the estimated erythemaly-weighted UV exposure(e.g., UV Index).

One aspect of the disclosure is system for calculating an estimated UVIndex, and can include any of the sensors herein, and any of theexecutable methods herein. The system may include a sensor adapted foruse in estimating erythemaly-weighted UV exposure, wherein the sensor ismore sensitive to light with a wavelength from 305 nm to 315 nm than tolight with a wavelength outside of 305 nm to 315 nm. The system mayinclude a computer executable method stored in a memory, the computerexecutable method adapted to: receive as input information that isindicative of an irradiance measured from the sensor, and estimateerythemaly-weighted UV exposure using the input information.

One aspect of the disclosure is a UV sensor that is sensitive toincident UV light, a first environment (E1) that includes unfilteredsunlight and a second environment (E2) that includes one of a first,second, and third notch filters having transmission centers at 300 nm,310 nm, and 320 nm, respectively, wherein when the sensor is exposed toE1, and E2 with each of the three filters, a sensitivity of the sensor(S) is characterized as a percent change in an output of the sensorbetween E1 and E2 with each of the three notch filters, the sensorthereby having a S300, a S310, and a S320, and wherein a relative “R310minus” sensitivity of the sensor is characterized by S310/S300 andwherein a relative “R310 plus” sensitivity of the sensor ischaracterized by S310/S320, and wherein at least one of R310 minus andR310 plus is greater than 15.

The sensor can include a narrow-band filter above a semiconductor.

The sensor may be more sensitive to light with a wavelength from 305 nmto 315 nm than to light with a wavelength outside of 305 nm to 315 nm.

The sensor may comprise a semiconductor and an optic portion, andwherein the combination of the semiconductor and the optic portion makesthe sensor more sensitive to light with a wavelength from 305 nm to 315nm than to light with a wavelength outside of 305 nm to 315 nm.

The sensor may comprise a semiconductor that is sensitive to at leastone of the wavelengths between 309 nm and 312 nm.

The sensor can be more sensitive to light with a wavelength from 308 nmto 312 nm than to light with a wavelength outside of 308 nm to 312 nm.

The sensor may further include a sensor output detector that is adaptedto detect an output from the sensor.

The sensor may further include a personal device (e.g., smartphone) inwhich the sensor is disposed and secured. The personal device may have adisplay.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the erythema action spectrum EAS.

FIG. 2 illustrates WHO Recommendations based on the UV index.

FIG. 3 illustrates measured UV spectral irradiance at the same time fromthree different locations.

FIG. 4 illustrates a comparison of commercially-available personal UVsensors when measuring the UV index from sunlight.

FIG. 5 illustrates the basic architecture of an exemplary UV sensor.

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C illustrate the linear fit of the irradiance at 300,310, and 320 nm against the UV index for 73,000 solar spectra.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are plots showing how many estimates of the UV indexfall between 1% and 90% of the actual UV index across 73,000 solarspectra.

FIGS. 8A and 8B show the sensitivity curves of silicon carbide, SiC4,and a perfect 311 nm detector.

FIG. 9 shows real world accuracy versus the acceptance range (bandwidth)of a sensor.

FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C illustrate accuracy of a prototyped sensor andtwo off-the-shelf sensors.

FIG. 11 shows the spectral sensitivity of some commercially-availablelow-cost UV sensors.

FIG. 12 shows the illustrative sensors from FIG. 11 and the accuracy at1% tolerance.

FIG. 13 illustrates exemplary schematics of any of the sensors hereinthat are designed to measure, for example, UV index.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary assembly device, including a sensor andother optional components.

FIG. 15 shows the device from FIG. 14, and includes an optional diffuserover internal components.

FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary method of use.

FIG. 17 illustrates relative “minus” sensitivity (S310/S300) vsbandwidth for a variety of sensors.

FIG. 18 illustrates relative “plus” sensitivity (S310/S320) vs bandwidthfor a variety of sensors.

FIG. 19 illustrates an exemplary method of estimatingerythemaly-weighted UV exposure.

FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary method of estimatingerythemaly-weighted UV exposure.

FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary device in which a memory may bedisposed, wherein the memory may store thereon any of the executablemethods herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Erythemaly-weighted UV exposure (e.g., UV Index) is used to provide awide variety of information to people. For example, the UV index canprovide a general indication about how much time an individual may wantto spend exposed to sunlight, or it may help make a decision aboutwhether or not to apply sunscreen. The UV index is used and useful for awide variety of purposes.

This disclosure describes innovative and illustrative UV sensors thatare adapted to accurately estimate erythemaly-weighted UV exposure(including the UV index) and other health-relevant weighting functions(e.g. Vitamin D Action Spectrum) from sunlight at the earth's surface.This disclosure also includes innovative methods of estimatingerythemaly-weighted UV exposure, including the UV Index, regardless ofthe particular light sensor that is used. The disclosure also includesmethods of manufacturing UV sensors, as well as methods of modifying alarge class of photodetectors and light sensors to accurately estimatethe UV index.

Erythemaly-weighted UV exposure, as used herein, includes the UV index.When the “UV index” is used herein it is understood to be illustrative,and is understood that “erythemaly-weighted UV exposure” or “Vitamin DAction Spectrum” is also being described. UV exposure for health is ageneral term that includes erythemaly-weighted UV exposure. It caninclude other weighting functions such as the Vitamin D Action Spectrum(http://www.cie.co.at/publications/action-spectrum-production-previtamin-d3-human-skin).The Vitamin D Action Spectrum is similar to erythemaly-weighted UV forwavelengths more than 300 nm, which is the most part of most sunspectra.

It is understood that the light sensors herein are illustrative, and themethods of estimating UV index herein need not be performed using thelight sensors herein.

Inventive and illustrative light sensors described herein are adaptedand configured to measure the UV index from the sun and are highlyaccurate, but are simpler to manufacture than sensors that attempt toreplicate the EAS. The inventive light sensors herein were firstvalidated by analyzing thousands of solar spectra from the EPA UVnetdatabase (EPA, U. S., ORD, Human Exposure & Atmospheric Sciences. EPA UVNET Ultraviolet Monitoring Program. Available at:https://archive.epa.gov/uvnet/web/html/index.html. (Accessed: 5 Oct.2018)).

Some UV sensors, in order to accurately estimate UV index, need to berecalibrated based on the day, time, and/or location of the UV sensor.This greatly increases the complexity of the sensor, on the hardwareand/or software side. One of the surprising and non-obvious findingsdescribed in this disclosure is that an accurate UV Index can now beestimated using simpler methods and calculations. For example, thisdisclosure details the significant finding that UV index can beaccurately and simply estimated using a much simpler sensor and/or muchless processing of the output from a light sensor.

One of the significant findings and aspects of this disclosure is thatthe UV index can now be accurately estimated using much simpler methodsand/or sensors regardless of the location of the sensor, and regardlessof the time at which the sensor is exposed to the light source (e.g.,sunlight). The ramifications of these findings are that the devices donot need to be recalibrated based on the day, time and/or location toaccurately estimate UV index.

The inventive light sensors herein respond linearly to a narrow band ofirradiance around 311 nm, including 310.5 nm. The surprising nature ofthe inventive light sensors herein is that this simple spectralsensitivity is predictive of the UV Index across all actual solarspectra. This means that this spectral sensitivity can be used topredict UV Index regardless of the day, time, and location where andwhen the light sensor is exposed to the solar spectra. While the basicmethods are fundamental and do not depend on the particular sensor thatis used, this finding was further validated by prototyping anillustrative narrow-band light sensor sensitive to only 311-313 nm.Specifically, a semiconductor chemistry sensitive to 250-380 nm (SiliconCarbide) was combined with a narrow-band filter centered on 312 nm(specifically, 311.25 nm-312.75 nm), as well as a diffuser on top of thesystem. This prototype was then validated against a state-of-the-artradiometer by measuring the UV index in a variety of solar spectra,which led to the unexpected and non-obvious finding that the prototypewas more accurate than all known low-cost UV index sensors. This appearsto be the first UV sensor capable of measuring the UV index correctlywithout exhibiting a spectral sensitivity similar to the EAS. Becausethis UV sensor is relatively very simple by design, it appears to be thefirst low-cost UV sensor capable of measuring the UV index with anaccuracy comparable to laboratory-grade UV index sensors.

Theory. FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C show how the accuracy of thesingle-wavelength prediction of the UV index over the 73,000 solarspectra found in the UVnet database. The methodology is the following:for each wavelength, a linear fit was applied between the 73,000measurements of irradiance at that wavelength to the UV index of thecorresponding solar spectrum. FIGS. 6A-6C shows the linear fit of theirradiance at 300, 310, and 320 nm against the UV index for the 73,000solar spectra. As shown by comparing FIG. 6B with FIGS. 6A and 6C, thelinear fit is much better for the wavelength 310 nm.

For each wavelength, a plot was created showing how many estimates ofthe UV index fall between 1% (in black in the figure) and 90% (in lightblue in the figure) of the actual UV index (calculated by applying theEAS to the solar spectrum) across the 73,000 solar spectra. As shown byFIGS. 7A and 7B, there is a peak around 310.5 nm (310-312 nm) meaningthat, for all these spectra, using the irradiance from 310 nm-312 nm,(e.g., at 310.5 nm) is predictive of the UV index of the correspondingspectrum. This means that measuring the irradiance at a very limitedrange of wavelengths, including a single wavelength, can be performedand still very accurately estimate the UV Index regardless of the time,day and/or location of the sensor when measurements are made. This canthus greatly simplify the devices and/or methods that can be used toaccurately estimate UV index. FIGS. 7A and 7B shows the percentage of UVindex calculation that falls between 1% (black) and 90% derived fromsingle-wavelength irradiance (data, UV Net). FIG. 7B shows the samecalculation, but focused on the relevant wavelengths. The data is froman independent dataset taken with a different spectrometer in BoulderColo., May of 2016.

Detectors' unfiltered sensitivity to UV. Silicon carbide diodes areamongst the most common UV detectors because of their sensitivity acrossthe UVB range (these detectors peak at 275 nm). By itself, this makes agood but not an optimal detector as is disclosed herein. In thisanalysis, a comparison was made between the predicted performance ofthree detectors, which is shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 8A illustrates SiC(solid non-straight line), a highly peaked SiC called SiC4(SiC4(lambda)=SiC{circumflex over ( )}4), shown in the dotted line, andan ideal 310 nm detector, which is the vertical line. FIG. 8A shows thesensitivity curves of Silicon Carbide, SiC4, and a perfect 311 nmdetector. Merely reducing the width of the spectral sensitivity curveonly marginally improves performance (i.e., from the SiC detector to thehighly peaked SiC detector), which is shown in more detail in FIG. 8B.FIG. 8B illustrates the real-world accuracy of these diodes from FIG. 8Acalculated using the UVNet dataset showing the benefit of the presentdisclosure. The top solid line in FIG. 8B is the 311 nm detector, andthe bottom line is the SiC detector.

Further, a consideration was made regarding how broad the wavelengthrange is that provides the greatest sensitivity by estimating UV basedon the total light levels in the range 311−w/2 to 311+w/2 in the plot inFIG. 9. The several types of lines correspond to the tolerance of a“correct measurement”, i.e. the curve @ tolerance 1% means that the UVImeasurement should be within 1% to be deemed accurate. FIG. 9 shows realworld accuracy versus the acceptance range (bandwidth) of a sensor,showing that the preferred sensor would be responsive over the range305-315 nm and would exclude light outside that range, and that sensorsthat respond similarly to light inside than outside the range of 305-315fail to take advantage of the inventive concepts described herein. Thisdisclosure thus provides light sensors that are more responsive, or moresensitive, to light with 305 nm-315 nm wavelengths than to light outsideof that range. In more particular embodiments, this disclosure provideslight sensors that are more responsive, or more sensitive, to light with308 nm-312 nm wavelengths than to light outside of that range. Sensorsadapted in this manner is one way in which to realize the benefits ofthe significant findings described herein.

Validating the theory. To validate the theory set forth above, anexemplary light sensor was built with a silicon carbide chemistry(sensitive to at least 311 nm), a narrow-band filter centered on 312 nmwith a width of 1.5 nm, and a UV-pass diffuser on top of the filter. Itis understood that the validating prototype supports and illustrates theinventive methods herein, and the inventive concepts herein are notlimited to this particular type of device and/or system. Other devicesand/or systems are envisioned that could be used to take advantage ofthe innovative and nonobvious methods and concepts disclosed herein.

This illustrative and exemplary prototype was assembled, as were twopopular off-the-shelf, low-cost detectors specifically designed tomeasure the UV index, according to their manufacturer, referred to inthis example as Ref 1 and Ref 2. Their responses against the UV indexwas measured by a laboratory-grade UV radiometer designed to measure theUV index, with the results shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C. By defining“accuracy” with the percentage of measurements within 5% of the correctvalue, we find that the prototype is 90% accurate, when Ref 1 was 12%accurate and Ref 2 was 50% accurate.

Atmospheric science justification. The theory and its validationdescribed above is surprising and has not been previously noted byexperts in the field. Below, we propose a physical-chemical explanation.The observed solar spectrum at time t is a result of multipleprocesses: 1) the generation of a solar emission spectrum H(λ, t) fromthe sun. The solar emission spectrum is a combination of black bodyspectra from regions of the sun whose temperature vary across the solarsurface and modified by absorption of solar gasses, primarily hydrogen,whose absorption spectrum is also dependent on pressure and temperature;2) the transport of the solar spectrum to a spot x earth T(λ, x, t)which has a geometric dependence on the solar azimuth at (x, t) but alsoon the absorption and scattering of the atmosphere which in turn dependson the local and immediate concentrations of ozone [O₃] and water [H₂O]as well as the scattering off aerosolized water vapor and otherparticles in the atmosphere and clouds. We note that the theoreticalunderstanding and numerical modeling of radiation transfer through theatmosphere is a topic of considerable complexity that has been studiedin great detail.

On the ground, we observe a spectrum S(λ, x, t)=H(λ, t)T(λ, x, t) wherethe complex angular dependence of indwelling radiation is included inthe functions H and T.

We desire to track the UVI which is an integral over S weighted by theerythema action spectrum E,U=∫ ₂₈₀ ⁴⁰⁰ dΔS(λ,x,t)E(λ)=∫₂₈₀ ⁴⁰⁰ dλH(λ,t)T(λ,x,t)E(λ)  (Equation 1).

We make the intuitive and unjustified assumption that it is acceptableto neglect all sources of variance except for the total quantity ofozone and water encountered resulting in the hypothesis thatU=∫ ₂₈₀ ⁴⁰⁰ dλH(λ,t)E(λ)O(n _(O) ₃ ,λ)W(n _(H) ₂ _(O),λ)  (Equation 2).

For further analysis it is simpler to examine a monotonically relatedquantity, the integral of the logarithm of the desired quantity which wewill call Log(U) even though it is not exactly the logarithm of the UVI.Log(U)=∫₂₈₀ ⁴⁰⁰ dλ[Log H(λ,t)+Log E(λ)+Log O(n _(O) ₃ (t,x),λ)+Log W(n_(H) ₂ _(O)(t,x),λ)]  (Equation 3).Log(U)=C+∫ ₂₈₀ ⁴⁰⁰ dλ[Log O(n _(O) ₃ (t,x),λ)+Log W(n _(H) ₂_(O)(t,x),λ)]  (Equation 4).

As absorption coefficients are typically simply proportional to thenumber of molecules encountered we can further simplifyLog(U)=C+n _(O) ₃ (t,x)∫₂₈₀ ⁴⁰⁰ dλ Log O(λ)+n _(H) ₂ _(O)(t,x)∫₂₈₀ ⁴⁰⁰dλ Log W(λ)   (Equation 5).

The existence of an indicator wavelength, where a measure of itsintensity is predictive of the complete function is now reduced tofinding a wavelength at which the two integrands in (Equation 5) areequal O(λ)=W(λ). In practice, as the absorption spectra depend ontemperature and pressure, both of which vary along the path taken bysunlight as it travels to the ground, one would reasonably doubt thatsuch a wavelength exists, and also expect that if it did exist, this keywavelength would vary widely with time. The inventive concepts hereinare based on the unexpected discover and realization that the drift ofthe critical wavelength is only over a remarkably narrow range across awide range of conditions including weather, geography, and geometricposition of the sun in the sky.

Available sensors. As part of the NSF SBIR research, a universitylaboratory checked the spectral response function of every commerciallyavailable solid-state UV sensor that could easily be acquired. Theresults are presented FIG. 11, over the range of 280-400 nm, which showsthe spectral sensitivity of commercially-available low-cost UV sensorsas of the summer of 2018. As seen in FIG. 11, the sensor S has a peak ofsensitivity near 310 nm but retains more than 10% of relativesensitivity from −285 nm to −325 nm. Some of the inventive methods andsensors herein filter out wavelengths outside the range of 305 nm-315nm. FIG. 12 shows the illustrative sensors and the accuracy at 1%tolerance.

Among the three popular chemistries used in UV photodiodes (siliconcarbide, gallium nitride, or aluminum gallium nitride), silicon carbidenaturally exhibits a peak sensitivity at 275 nm and remains relativelyflat from 275 nm to 315 nm, making it an ideal chemistry for the methodsand/or sensors herein. It is expected that other semiconductors (e.g.compound semiconductors) would still be valid choices for the inventiveconcepts herein, even though the disclosure herein describes a prototypewith a silicon carbide chemistry. If “compound semiconductor” is used ina particular context herein, it is understood to be illustrative, andthe relevant portion of the application also described “semiconductor.”

An exemplary method of achieving a high accuracy when estimating the UVindex with a wide variety of detectors follows. The method includesselecting or providing a semiconductor that is sensitive to at least 311nm. The semiconductor can be sensitive to other wavelengths, but it mustshow sensitivity around 311 nm. A narrow-band filter centered on 311 nmis assembled above the semiconductor. An optional diffuser, which areknown to those skilled in the art, may be disposed above the filter. Theassembled detector is calibrated against a state-of-the-instrument knownto measure accurately the UV index.

The method above may include other steps as well, and is not meant to belimiting. For example, the assembled device may include other sensors,such as visible light sensors or sensors specifically adapted for UVA.The assembled device may thus clearly include other components andelectronics, such as any of those described in 2016/0364131, which isincorporated by reference herein for all purposes. For example, FIG. 2in 2016/0364131 illustrates an exemplary sensing device. Sensor 107 from2016/0364131 could be considered any of the photodetectors herein, andany of the narrow-pass filters herein could be added to the sensingdevice in FIG. 2 above sensor 107. Optional diffuser 102 may be used asthe optional diffuser set forth herein. The sensing device couldoptionally include any of the components from that FIG. 2 (e.g.,including UVA sensor 109, or any of the windows 106), or it couldinclude less or none of the other components and/or electronics.

The following describes an exemplary method of estimating UV Index usingthe inventive concepts herein. When measuring sun exposure at a giventime T, a computer executable program (e.g., stored on a wide variety ofdevices, such as a personal smartphone, a wearable sensing device, adesktop computer, a cloud-based storage device, etc.) can be used toprovide the estimate of the UV index, based on what the detector ismeasuring: UVI(T)=UVI_(CAL)×I(T)/I₀, where UVI(T) is the estimated UVindex of sun exposure at the time T, where UVI_(CAL) is the UV indexmeasured by the reference instrument under the irradiance used duringcalibration, where I(T) is the current of the detector when measuringsun exposure at the time T, where Jo is the current of the detector whenmeasuring the irradiance used during calibration, with the sameconditions as the reference instrument. In this example, current is theoutput that is measured, but it is understood this is illustrative, andthe output of the UV sensor may be other types of outputs, such asdigital counts, for example. Note that if the detector is using adigital communication channel, its output is usually a number of counts,not a current. In that case the calibration function should be modifiedaccordingly.

FIG. 13 illustrates exemplary schematics of any of the UV detectorsherein that are designed to measure the UV index. It is noted that adiffuser is optional, but when prototyped, it did improve performance ofthe sensor.

It was observed that the broader the sensitivity around 310 nm is, theless accurate the sensors will be. It is also noted that the sensitivitydoes not have to be symmetrical around 310 nm. The UV index is mostlyderived from the wavelengths 290-315 nm, so if the filter is passing310-320 nm, it may also be very accurate. A filter passing 290-310 nm,however, will be less accurate because the shorter wavelengths (290-315)contribute significantly to the UV index.

This devices herein are adapted to measure the UV index outside, wherethere is irradiance around 310 nm. Inside a car or a building, forexample, UVA (315-400 nm) can go through a window and will mostly likelynot be sensed by a detector using a narrow-band around 310 nm or 311 nm.Any of the sensing devices herein can therefore also include one or moreUVA sensors near the modified detector for any situations where thedevice is exposed mostly to UVA and not much UVB (e.g., sunlight throughwindows, UVA machines, etc.). For example, any of the componentsdescribed in 2017/0115162 are fully incorporated by reference herein forall purposes, including, for example, any of the sensors, electronics,computer executable methods, and any description related thereto.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary assembly device 100 that includesexemplary sensor 102, which may include a semiconductor such as a SiCsemiconductor, and a narrowband filter mounted above the semiconductor.Sensor 102 can be any sensor herein. Assembly device also includesreference radiometer 104. Device 100 also includes optional controlsystems 106. Device 100 also includes control 108, which acts as theinterface and control system for all sensors in device 100. An optionalsecond sensor 102′ may be included in the device 100. An optional UVAsensor 110 is also included in assembly device 100. FIG. 15 shows device100, but includes optional diffuser 120. The internal components thatare shown in FIG. 14 cannot be seen in FIG. 15.

FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary method of estimating UV Index. A sensoris provided at step 132. The sensor may be any of the innovative sensorsdescribed herein. The sensor's output from a calibration source ismeasured in step 134. The UV Index for an unknown source is thendetermined at step 136.

The disclosure that follows, including FIGS. 17 and 18, provides aquantitative illustration of sensors and methods that fall within thescope of the inventive concepts herein. The disclosure that followsprovides alternative ways of characterizing the inventive sensorsherein, as well as the inventive methods herein. FIGS. 17 and 18, andthe descriptions thereof, also describe a quantitative test to separatesystems using the key inventive concepts described herein from systemswhich use prior understandings of how to quantify health relevant UV.

A comparison would be made of the responses of a system when measuringsun spectra through several notch filters with transmission centers ator near 300, 310, and 320 nm. Notch filters block light outside of anarrow bandwidth around their center. The filters can be chosen to havea bandwidth to pass light with wavelength between 1 and 10 nm of thenotch filter centers. For each filter, the system response can berecorded when exposed to two sources of incident light: 1/U₁ unfilteredsunlight or a solar spectrum passing through a diffuser and 2/U₂ thatsame source plus additional sunlight or solar spectra passing through asimilar path with the addition of a notch filter. The “sensitivity ofthe system” can be measured for each filter. The sensitivity is thepercent change in output between U₁ and U₂ (S=(U₂−U₁)/U₁=U₂/U₁−1). Therelative sensitivity of the detector is the ratio of S(310) to S(300) orS(310) to S(320). In FIG. 17, we plot this ratio of sensitivities as afunction of the bandwidth of the notch filters. We callR310_minus=S(310)/S(300), and R310_plus=S(310)/S(320). All previousapproaches and previous devices have the property that both ofR310_minus and R310_plus are less than 15. A system taking advantage ofthe inventive concepts herein will have either R310_plus>15 orR310_minus>15 or both. Thus, any of the innovative sensors herein canfurther be characterized as having either R310_plus>15 or R310_minus>15,or both.

FIG. 17 shows measuring the ratio of sensitivities of a detector tofilters centered on 310 nm vs filters centered on 300 nm for differentbandwidths (1 nm to 10 nm). A bandwidth of 5 nm for a filter centered on310 nm means that the filter filters in light between 305 nm and 315 nm.We note on this graph that a detector exhibiting the perfect erythemaspectrum or sensitive from 280 nm to 320 nm are not part of thisdisclosure and inventions herein because their relative sensitivitiesR_(310_minus) are below 15. A detector with a sensitivity from 304 nm to316 nm and from 307 nm to 313 nm would have, for one or severalbandwidths, a relative sensitivity R_(310_minus) above 15. Thereforethey are described by the inventive concepts herein.

FIG. 18 illustrates measuring the ratio of sensitivities of a detectorto filters centered on 310 nm vs filters centered on 320 nm fordifferent bandwidths (1 nm to 10 nm). A bandwidth of 5 nm for a filtercentered on 310 nm means that the filter filters in light between 305 nmand 315 nm. We note on this graph that a detector exhibiting the perfecterythema spectrum or sensitive from 300 nm to 340 nm are not part ofthis disclosure and invention because their relative sensitivitiesR_(310_plus) are below 15. A detector with a sensitivity from 304 nm to316 nm and from 307 nm to 313 nm would have, for one or severalbandwidths, a relative sensitivity R_(310_plus) above 15. Therefore theyare described by the inventive concepts herein.

FIG. 19 illustrate an exemplary method that includes measuring outputfrom any of the sensors herein, and also includes using the output toestimate an erythemaly-weighted UV exposure (e.g. UV Index).

FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary computer executable method, that may bestored in a memory (which may be disposed in any type of suitabledevice), the computer executable method including receiving as inputinformation that is indicative of (or is) a sensor output, where theinformation is then used to estimate an erythemaly-weighted UV exposure(e.g. UV Index).

FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary device 200 (e.g. computer, smartphone,server, etc.) that includes memory 202, in which any of the executablemethods herein may be stored.

Any of the methods herein that estimate an erythemaly-weighted UVexposure (e.g., UV Index) may further include any known use of the thaterythemaly-weighted UV exposure (e.g., UV Index). Any of the ways inwhich UV index is used in any of the publications incorporated byreference herein are thus expressly incorporated into this disclosure.For example without limitation, any of the methods herein can includedetermining how much time a person may safely spend outdoors byutilizing the erythemaly-weighted UV exposure (e.g., UV Index), and/oralerting the user to that amount of time. For example, any of themethods herein can include a step that causes the erythemaly-weighted UVexposure (e.g., UV Index) to be displayed on a display of a user device(e.g. smartphone, computer, etc.). These are merely examples, and anyknown uses of erythemaly-weighted UV exposure (e.g., UV Index),including providing information to a user, are expressly includedherein.

Even if not specifically indicated, one or more methods or techniquesdescribed in this disclosure (e.g. any of the computer executablemethods) may be implemented, at least in part, in hardware, software,firmware or any combination thereof. For example, various aspects of thetechniques or components may be implemented within one or moreprocessors, including one or more microprocessors, digital signalprocessors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic circuitry, orthe like, either alone or in any suitable combination. The term“processor” or “processing circuitry” may generally refer to any of theforegoing circuitry, alone or in combination with other circuitry, orany other equivalent circuitry.

Such hardware, software, or firmware may be implemented within onedevice or within separate devices to support the various operations andfunctions described in this disclosure. In addition, any of thedescribed units, modules or components may be implemented together orseparately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. Depiction ofdifferent features as modules or units is intended to highlightdifferent functional aspects and does not necessarily imply that suchmodules or units must be realized by separate hardware or softwarecomponents. Rather, functionality associated with one or more modules orunits may be performed by separate hardware or software components, orintegrated within common or separate hardware or software components.

When implemented in software, the functionality ascribed to the systems,devices and techniques described in this disclosure may be embodied asinstructions on a computer-readable medium such as random access memory(RAM), read only memory (ROM), non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), electricallyerasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), Flash memory, and the like. Theinstructions may be executed by a processor to support one or moreaspects of the functionality described in this disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A UV detector, comprising: a sensor sensitive toincident UV light, a first environment (E1) that includes unfilteredsunlight and a second environment (E2) that includes one of a first,second, and third notch filters having transmission centers at 300 nm,310 nm, and 320 nm, respectively, wherein when the sensor is exposed toE1, and E2 with each of the three filters, a sensitivity of the sensor(S) is characterized as a percent change in an output of the sensorbetween E1 and E2 with each of the three notch filters, the sensorthereby having a S300, a S310, and a S320, and wherein a relative “R310minus” sensitivity of the sensor is characterized by S310/S300 andwherein a relative “R310 plus” sensitivity of the sensor ischaracterized by S310/S320, and wherein at least one of R310 minus andR310 plus is greater than
 15. 2. The detector of claim 1, wherein thesensor includes a narrow-band filter above a semiconductor.
 3. Thedetector of claim 1, wherein the sensor is more sensitive to light witha wavelength from 305 nm to 315 nm than to light with a wavelengthoutside of 305 nm to 315 nm.
 4. The detector of claim 1, wherein thesensor comprises a semiconductor and an optic portion, and wherein thecombination of the semiconductor and the optic portion makes the sensormore sensitive to light with a wavelength from 305 nm to 315 nm than tolight with a wavelength outside of 305 nm to 315 nm.
 5. The detector ofclaim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a semiconductor that is sensitiveto at least one of the wavelengths between 309 nm and 312 nm.
 6. Thedetector of claim 1, wherein the sensor is more sensitive to light witha wavelength from 308 nm to 312 nm than to light with a wavelengthoutside of 308 nm to 312 nm.
 7. The detector of claim 1, furthercomprising a sensor output detector that is adapted to detect an outputfrom the sensor.
 8. The detector of claim 1, further comprising apersonal device in which the sensor is disposed and secured.
 9. Thedetector of claim 8, wherein the personal device has a display.